Method of and apparatus for widening tunnels



C. BRYNOLDT.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WIDENING TUNNELS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 191B.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1- F'IEL'L.

INVENTOR WITNESSES C. BRYNOLDT.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WIDENING TUNNELS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1918- I Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

INVENTOR @M W'TNESSES k Mai/(m C. BRYNOLDT.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WIDENING TU'NNELS.

APPHCATION FILED JULY 22,1918.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- WITNESSES Cir UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRISTIAN BRYNOLDT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BLAW- KNOX COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WIDENING TUNNELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed July 22, 1918. Serial No. 246,238.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, CHRISTIAN Bnvnorn'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a cer tain new and useful Method of and Apparatus for lVidening Tunnels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its principal objects to provide a method of widening tunnels without interfering with normal trailic conditions therethrough; and the provision of an improved shield apparat us for use in connection therewith. The invention is equally applicable in the widening of tunnels whether in order to receive concrete work or where additional trackage is intended to be laid, as when a single track tunnel is designed to be converted into a double track tunnel. In the latter case, heretofore, the consequent blasting or excavating operations seriously interfered with, if not entirely blocked, traflic through the tunnel. My invention, in addition to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, or are incident to my invention, contemplates the interposition of a sectional shielding device between the existing track and the earth or material to be excavated as a protecting medium for the track and trains passing over it,the sections of which beingreadily transportable from the rear to the front of the device as the material at the rear has been removed. Certain embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view of the preferred form of mysectional shielding device when assembled in the tunnel to be widened;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a fragmentary portion of the device shown in Fig. 1; a i

Fig. 3 represents a horizontal sectional view taken through Fig. 2;,

Fig. i is a view similar to that in 1 but serves to illustrate a slightly modified form of the device; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations of the device, the views being wholly diagrammatic and designed to illustrate the progressive forward movenment of the sections of either embodiment as the excavation proceeds.

In Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, the full line 7 and the old timbering 8 indicate sub stantially the existing bore of the tunnel which is to be widened at one side, for i11- stance, as suggested in part by the dotted line 9, to accommodate a double track instead of the single track there shown, the rails of which latter are designated by the reference characters 10, 10. Placed in the tunnel clear of traffic and, extending forwardly any desired distance from the point where the excavation is to be commenced and thence forward carried on, is a shield apparatus desirably composed of an arch member A and two side members B, which, as will be seen, are readily collapsible and portable.

As diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 each of said members comprise a series of sections. For example, each side member B, may consist of nine vertical sections designated forwardly from the rear by the reference characters a, b, c, (l, e, f, 72, and i, and the arch member A of eight curved sections a, 7), c, (l, c, f, 9 and it, which register with and rest upon the real-most eight sections of the side members B, as indicated. more specifically in Fig. 5. hen thus positioned, the shield is interposed as a barrier behind which, beginning with the material adjacent the rearmost sections a, a, blasting and excavating may be carried on to great advantage and without interfer ence with normal trafiic conditions. As the excavation proceeds, the rear sections are progressively carried forward in turn for assemblage with whatever sections may constitute the front sections, the initial movement commencing with the rear arch section a, which is designed for association with the front sections 2' and h as shown in Fig. 6, permitting the rear side sections a, (L, to be then transported for positioning in front of sections a and 71.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 8, each of the vertical side sections embody a series of superposed panels or subsections 11 whose end portions bear against vertical bracing beams 12, as shown in Fig. 3, the beams being bolted or otherwise socured by bolts 12 upon the longitudinal beam or base 13 at each side of the track, and upon which the lower panels are also positioned. Each of the panels 11 inturn consists of a plurality of lagging strips or members 14 connected together near their ends by vertically disposed angles 15 apertured in alinement with holes 16 in beams 12 to permit the passage therethrough of, and to receive, the locking pins 17. These pins serve to maintain the ends of the panels in engagement with the rear faces of the beams 12, and are, of course, placed in locking relation with the beams as the panels are being assembled upon the support 13 to form a vertical side section, as a for example. Hence it will be readily apparent that upon removal of the pins 17 the panels may be easily disassembled in readiness to be placed in the hand car 18 for movement to the new position in advance of the other sections. I

Preferably the roof or arch sections are of the same width as that of the side sections, and each comprise connected arched truss members 19 carrying fixed lagging strips 20, which latter abut the strips of adjacent sections and. together provide an overhead protective shield, and a working platform for those engaged in excavation work above the side sections. The upper ends of the beams 12 and the lower terminals of the truss members 19 are provided with complementary angle brackets, 21 and 22 respectively, having their flanges detachably connected by bolts 23 and offset to permit the ready lowering of an arch section by means of the block and pulley tackle 24 which is adapted to be placed in lowering or hoisting position between the brackets 25 and davits 26. The brackets 25 are secured to the truss members 19 so as to clear the side sections during lowering or hoisting movement, the top panels carrying the davits 26 and provided with lagging strips 27, which with the lower sections of lagging 28 beneath the ends of the truss members 19, serve to bridge and cover in the space which otherwise would be left between the overhead lagging 20 and the top strips 14 of the up er panels. V

11 order that the rear arch section may be readily shifted in a forward direction under the other arch sections toits new position when lowered to clear said sections, I provide longitudinal tracks upon which trolleys 29 are positioned for travel therealong, and are adapted to receive in their carriage portions 30 the bracket ends 2201 the arch section to be moved, as indicated in Fig. 1. Each track comprises a pair of rails 31 supported on brackets 32 and are in sectional form (Fig. 2), each sectional pair of rails secured to adjacent brackets by bolts 33, the rails having a length corresponding at least to the overall length of the combined side sections a et seq. These brackets are secured against the beams 12.

With the shield sections positioned as described, and as illustrated diagrammatically 1n Fig. 5, the excavation is first proceeded with behind and above the rear sections a,

a, and b and b if desired, after the old timbers have been removed, in whole or in part. Should the blasting be of a heavy character, additional timbers may be set up against the rear face of the anels 11 as a protective measure, thong}:3 t e braced lagging strips, which may made either of wood or steel, can readily withstand the effects of ordinary blasting where relatively small charges of explosive are employed. If only one side of the tunnel is to be excavated, part of the old timbering 8 may 'be left and a distance block or chuck 8 employed between it and the lagging at the other side. As the excavation, and the removal of the material excavated behind the rear sections, proceeds, the bolts 23 are uncoupled and rear arch section a is lowered by tackle 24 upon trolley 29, and is carried along the tracks 31 which, as already indicated, extend to the front marignal edges of front side sections i. The tackle 24 is then hooked in the davits 26 of the sections i, and the arch section hoisted up and coupled in position upon said sections, as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6. The next step is to take down the panel sub-sections 11 of the side sections a, and after placing them with the rail sections and the rear beams 12 upon the trolley 18 for transportation to the front sections 2', they are assembled in place in advance of and in line with said sections, the sectional rails 31 being then mounted on the forward brackets 32 so that their ends now terminate at the forward marginal edges of the forward sections a, a. They will then be carried sufficiently enough forward to permit of the movement of the next arch section I) on the trolleys for positioning upon the sections a, a, and as the excavation is proceeded with the rear sections in turn are collapsed, transported and erected in front in the manner above set forth. It will be understood, of course, that the trolley 18 may be easily put to one side of the tracks 10 when trafiic conditions warrant it, and that there is no interference whatever with such trafiic even when an arch section is in its lowered position.

In the modification disclosed in Fig. 4 of thedrawings, the arch sections are detachably coupled directly upon the top flanges 34 of the beams or posts 12 by bolts 35, and have their lagging strips 20 secured to and disposed on the truss members 19 so as to form a curved extension of the lagging 14 of the side sections. In this instance there is no attempt made at paneling the side sections, each section representing a unitary member and provided with angle bracket 36 formed with a slot 37, the ribbed arch sections each being also provided with a central abutment 38 formed with a recess 39. The sections of the modified apparatus are successively moved forwardly as the excavation proceeds similarly as in the case of the prefererd construction, the diagrammatic showing in Figs. 4 and 5 being applicable equally to both. In order to move the sections I employ preferably a boom 40 swiveled upon the trolley 18 and provided at its end with a tool 41 adapted to project in turn into the recess 39 of the arch section and the slots 37 of the side sections to raise them when the boom is swung and the drum 42 and cable 4L3are manipulated. In the showing of the trolley in Fig. i, it will be understood that it is retracted some distance from the section with which the boom is shown engaged. By moving the trolley nearer to the arch section to be moved, the boom 40 may be elevated to bring its tool 41 into engagement with the recess 39, and after the bolts 35 have been removed the section may be slightly swung diagonally and rearwardly and then lowered clear of the other sections, whereupon it may be carried forward in its suspended position to its new location by the trolley, and there secured in place. The side sections when un coupled are then carried forward by the boom and trolley to their new positions. It will be understood that the base beams 13 have a length equal to that of the overall length of the side sections which rest upon them, and that four of them may be used to good effect.

An additional advantageous feature of the modified apparatus resides in the fact that while it is primarily designed for use as a shield behind which blasting and other excavation work may proceed, in the manner already described, yet it may also be readily employed as a collapsible form for concrete work in view of the fact that in respect to the lagging the curvature of the arch sections represents an unbroken continuation of the sides of the side sections. Both forms of the invention, however, are constructed and designed to afford an adequate protective means behind which those working in the excavation may take cover during blasting operations.

What I claim is:

1. In tunnel widening apparatus, the combination of a plurality of side sections each composed of superposed lagging members, beams for said sections, a plurality of arch sections each comprising supporting members and lagging strips arranged serially side by side upon said members, the beams and said supporting members offset at their ends from each other, means detachably connecting the ends of said beams and said members, and a trolley carried on each of said side sections in position to receive the ends of the arch supporting members when detached.

2. In tunnel widening apparatus, the combination of a plurality ofside sections each composed of superposed lagging members, beamsfor said sections, a plurality of arch sections each comprising supporting members and lagging trips arranged serially side by side upon said members, the beams and said supporting members ofl'set at their ends from each other whereby said members may be lowered, means detachably connect ing the ends of Said beams and said members, trolley means adapted for positioning and to receive the arch supporting members when detached and lowered, and lagging strips for said offset ends.

3. In tunnel widening apparatus, the combination of a plurality of side sections each composed of superposed lagging members, beams for said sections, a plurality of arch sections each comprising supporting members and lagging strips arranged serially side by side upon said members, the beams and said supporting members offset at their ends from each other whereby the latter may be lowered relatively of the beams, means detachably connecting the ends of said beams and said members, and trolley means carried by the side sections for moving said arch sections when lowered, said side sections and beams disposed substantially in parallelism and spaced apart to permit the lowering of the arch sections.

42. In tunnel widening apparatus, the combination of a plurality of side sections each composed of superposed lagging men'lbers, beams for said sections, a plurality of arch sections each comprising supporting members and lagging strips arranged serially side by side upon said members, the beams and said supporting members ofiset at their end from each other, means detachably connecting the ends of said beams and said members, trolley means for moving said arch sections, and means on said side sections for lowering the arch sections to said trolley means.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of side sections and an arch section each comprising lagging and supports therefor, means for detachably connecting the arch section to the side sections, tracks carried by the side sections, and trolleys on said tracks adapted to re ceive the ends of the arch section supports upon detachment of the arch section.

6. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a pair of spaced side sections and an arch section bridging the side sections, supports for the side and arch sections having their inner meeting i of side sections and an arch section, means for detachably connecting the arch section to the side sections, and conveying means carried by the side sections in position to receive the arch section when detached and support it clear of traffic within the tunnel.

8. In apparatus for widening the bore of existing tunnels, the combination of a series of side shield sections, a series of archshield sections adapted to be detachably mounted upon the side sections, and trolley means on the side sections for supporting the arch sections when detached in such manner as not to interfere with trafiic through the tunnel, said trolley means being adapted to mounted upon opposing side sections and capable of being lowered intermediately of said sections when detached therefrom, and

' conveying means arranged in sections and carried on the side sections, said conveying means being adapted to successively move the rear arch members when detached and lowered to the forward end of the shield.

10. In apparatus for widening the bore of existing tunnels, the combination of a series of knock-down side sections each composed of a plurality of panels, supports for the panels, and means for detachably connecting the panels of adjacent sections to each other and to a support; a series of arch sections adapted to be detachably secured to the side sections; and a trolley, the tracks of which are composed of sections corresponding in length to the width of a side'section and fastened to the supports, said trolley being adapted to receive and support the arch sections when dotached.

11. In apparatus for widening the bore of existing tunnels, the combination of a tem orary, knockdown shield fitting within t e tunnel but clear of the wall to be removed, said shield comprising side and arch members adapted to be detachably secured together to straddle the roadway so as not to interfere with traffic thereon, and means for IIIOViIlg the shield members.

12. The herein described method of widening tunnels without interfering with traffic therethrough, which consists in erecting a section of a knock-down shield within which consists in straddling the roadway with a temporary shield which is clear of the wall to be removed, in excavating the material behind the shield, and in moving the shield forwardly as the excavation proceeds. s

CHRISTIAN BRYNOLDT. 

